LIMA, Ohio, November 20, 2020 – Rhodes State College is partnering with Mercy Health St. Rita’s, Lima Memorial Health System and Delphos City Schools to offer students the opportunity to earn a Patient Care Technician certificate as well as 12 credit hours toward their high school graduation requirements.
“Rhodes State College is excited to launch the Healthcare Occupations Pathway Experience or “HOPE” Project,” said Angie Heaton, Dean of Health Sciences & Public Service at Rhodes State. “The mission of Rhodes is to change lives, build futures and improve communities through life-long learning. This initiative supports our mission by providing hospitals with a pool of entry-level employees with the necessary skills and credentials to contribute to the workforce immediately, and it provides students with a high-demand healthcare career. It is a great opportunity for students to jump start their career while still in high school.”
Patient Care Technicians have become increasingly essential. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals rely on Patient Care Technicians to assist with the critical day-to-day care of patients in healthcare facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes.
“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to begin a partnership with area high schools and Rhodes State that promotes opportunities for our area students,” said Chad Brinkman, Delphos Jefferson High School Principal. “Students will be exposed to medical career opportunities that have immediate impacts on their future, and these students will be able to leave high school career and college ready.”
Twenty-four students from Delphos Jefferson, Delphos St. John, Elida, Fort Jennings, Lincolnview, Miller City, Ottoville and Spencerville will be selected to participate in this project and can complete the curriculum in one year alongside traditional high school courses at the students’ home school. Rhodes State will work with Mercy Health St. Rita’s and Lima Memorial Health System to open job shadowing and employment opportunities for students who complete the program successfully.
Through the project, Rhodes State faculty will teach the following courses: Basic Human Structure and Function, Medical Terminology, Patient Care Technician I & II, Medical Law-Ethics in Healthcare. Learning will take place online with laboratory hours completed in the Career Connections Center at Delphos Jefferson High School. According to Brinkman, the Center is a space where “industry, post-secondary schools, and organizations can train and offer specific career experiences to future employees prior to graduation.”
For parents or students who are interested in learning more or applying for the Project, please contact Kitt Horn, Dean, K-12 Partnerships at Horn.K@RhodesState.edu or 419-230-2497.
